Differentiating between a full moon and a new moon is not a tough task. In fact, even a kid can tell the difference easily. But apart from being the difference between the two so obvious, there are obviously many aspects and facts that can tell the and even prove the difference between both the phase.
The lunar month is very different from the other months and stands its own features. The very first day of the month is the new moon, while the mid of the month around the 15th is the full moon.
Full Moon vs New Moon
The main difference between the full moon and the new moon is that a new moon is when we cannot see it as we are looking at the unlit part of it, while a full moon is when we can see the whole moon as the entire portion of the moon is lit. A full moon is the most visible amongst all of its phases as it is the brightest, but a new moon is the least and barely visible to the naked eyes as half of the portion is unlit of the new moon, and it is the darkest phase of it.
When from its new moon position, the moon has moved about 180 degrees, a line is formed by the sun, the earth, and the moon itself, and the phase of the moon is called a waxing gibbous moon. The disk of the moon is as close to the sun that it gets all of its illuminations to form the sun, and this is called a full moon.
Now, for the new moon, the phase where the sun and the moon have the same ecliptic longitude, the first moon is the first lunar phase. And at this particular phase, the disk of the lunar eclipse is not visible to the bare eyes. The new moon has no light of its own and is hardly illuminated by any other star, and a new moon is the least and barely visible to the naked eyes.
Comparison Table Between Full Moon and New Moon
| Parameters of Comparison | Full Moon | New Moon |
| Situated at | The moon is situated quite a far away during the period of the full moon. | The moon is somewhere around the sun and the earth and is somewhere between the two. Generally, closer to the sun. |
| Phase | During the lunar month, the full moon is the phase of the moon when it is the brightest. | But the new moon is the phase of the moon when it is the darkest. |
| Period | The full moon is in the mid of the lunar month, that is, around the 15th. | The new moon is on the first day of the lunar month. |
| Visibility | A full moon is the most visible amongst all of its phases as it is the brightest. | A new moon is the least and barely visible to the naked eyes as it is the darkest phase of it. |
| Light | The full moon is the brightest as it is where he can get most of the light from the sun and be illuminated by it. | The new moon has no light of its own and is hardly illuminated by any other star. |
What is Full Moon?
When from its new moon position, the moon has moved about 180 degrees, a line is formed by the sun, the earth, and the moon itself, and this is called a full moon. As seen from the earth, the full moons are about 99.9% illuminated by the sun. The orbit of the moon around the earth is at an angle of about 5 degrees in relation to the orbital plane of the earth, the ecliptic. So, we see the moon at an angle that diminishes the light or the illumination of the moon by a little percentage if the full moon occurs at a moment when the moon is either above or below the area of the ecliptic.
The full moon actually occurs for several minutes and lasts only for an instant time as it is the continuous motion of the earth. Which says that the exact and main time for the full moon for the planet is ironical during the daytime.